Criminal Justice Section

Our section has a long-standing tradition of examining issues that arise in the everyday practice of Criminal Law in Philadelphia and surrounding communities. Recently, the section has addressed a number of issues, including raising Court Appointment Fees for practitioners, addressing prison overpopulation in the region, helping launch new website initiatives and ensuring that our members and the general public have access to the latest information affecting the practice of law in the criminal justice field. We have expanded resources on our website and added links to various sites which are critical to the professionals who work in this area.

We conduct our monthly general meetings at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street in the 11th floor conference room. The meetings are usually scheduled on the last Tuesday of each month.

Lunch is available for a modest fee. Please join us.

A Message from the Section Chair

Welcome to the Philadelphia Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section Website. Part of the purpose of the Criminal Justice Section is to further the achievement of fair, speedy, and effective administration of criminal justice. In promoting that purpose, our Section has a long-standing tradition of carefully examining issues that impact the practice of law in Philadelphia and the criminal-justice system. Because our membership is comprised of a wide range of stakeholders in the criminal-justice system, including judges, prosecutors, public defenders and private practitioners, we are able to speak to criminal-justice issues from a broad and robust perspective.

Some of our recent work and initiatives include trying to preserve the court appointed counsel fee system for those practitioners who represent indigent defendants and further working to increase the fees paid to those practitioners at both the state and federal level, ensuring the retention of experienced and competent court-appointed counsel in the Philadelphia court system, providing eduction and relevant information to our members through our connection with our Criminal Justice Section Blog, and providing high-quality continuing legal education (CLE) Programs with the Section's CLE coordinator and through the Philadelphia Bar Association CLE programs.

You are invited to attend our monthly general section meetings. They are held usually on the last Tuesday of each month at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St. At our meetings, you will experience various topics on an agenda which often includes appellate updates, prison updates, topical guest speakers from the criminal-justice community and opportunities to earn CLE credits.

Please join us at our meetings. Lunch is provided at a small cost. We look forward to seeing you.

Chair

MONTHLY SECTION MEETINGS

The general meetings are usually held on the fourth Tuesday of each month and Executive Committee meetings are held of the second Tuesday of each month.

Section News

Annual Holiday Reception & Awards Ceremony - Thursday, December 18

Professor Ohlbaum's wife, Karyn Scher, accepts the Thurgood Marshall Award from Section Chair Robert Muench. The Marshall Award is the Section's highest honor for outstanding service to the profession.

President Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper received an award for her leadership.

Deputy Court Administrator Janet Fasy received the Henry Czajkowski Award in behalf of the Office of Court Reporter, Digital Recording and Interpreter Administration. The Czajkowski Award honors exceptional service by non-lawyers to the criminal justice system.

Clerk of Courts Joseph Evers received the Henrty Czajkowski Award.

Isla Fruchter received the Chairman's Award for organizing Continuing Legal Educations programs for the Section.

James Funt was honored for his service as last year's Chair of the Section.

Supreme Court Induction - Monday, May 5, 2014

Please keep checking the Criminal Justice Section area of the Philadelphia Bar Association website and the |Criminal Justice Section Blog for important news and updates.

The Criminal Justice Section offers prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges the opportunity to meet and collaborate on issues of mutual concern within the criminal justice system. Membership in the section is available not only to lawyers and judges; any person employed within the criminal justice system in Philadelphia, or by the courts, is eligible to become an associate member of the section. In addition to continuing legal education courses developed specifically for criminal law practitioners, the section also sponsors public forums on issues of concern to the broader community.

2. Money orders and checks are payable to the "Clerk of Quarter
Sessions." Only one payment - not one for restitution and one for
fines/costs.

3. Payment is made at the Payment Center — CJC, or Payment Center — 1401 Arch Street before the time set for court. The defendant should have their docket number available when making payment. A receipt will be given to the defendant, which will be presented to the DA in court as proof of payment.

Acknowledgment

The Philadelphia Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section blog has been recognized in the "Criminal Justice Round-Up: 101 Great Sites to Bookmark" by criminaljusticedegree.com.